Rasmalai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a very authentic Indian dessert and it is just as good as the one you get in a restaurant.

For the Rasmalai

• Milk : 2.5 litres (I used 2% milk)
• Lemon Juice: 4 tbsp
• Semolina: 1 tsp 
• sugar powdeed along with cardamom 2 tsp

For the Milk mixture

• Sugar: 1 cup
• Milk : 500 ml
• Evoporated milk- 1 can (380 ml.)
• Cardamom flavoured sugar- 1/4 tsp
• Corn flour- 1 tbsp

For cooking the rasmalai
       . 1cup sugar
       .3cups water

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Method

For Rasmalai

 

Boil milk  in a wide pan. When the milk comes to a boil, add 4 tbsp. of lemon or lime juice. After a few minutes the milk will curdle and seperate from the whey.

•  Place a piece of muslin cloth over the strainer.
• Pour milk over the cloth and strain.
• Hold the ends of the muslin cloth and squeeze out all the water from the curdled milk.   Remove as much water as possible. Place a heavy object over the cloth. This will help remove the excess water. Then wait for 5 minutes.
• Now place the curdled milk on a flat surface.
• Knead  this to  a soft dough. Add semolina  and  the cardamom flavoured sugar and  knead it well  until it feels like a smooth soft dough. 
• Now roll this into small marble sized balls and press it with your thumb lightly.  Keep this aside. Make sure to cover it so that it doesn't dries out.

For MILK SUGAR Syrup

Heat milk and evaporated milk along with sugar, cardamom flavoured sugar and bring it to a boil. In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup cold milk and corn flour and add this to the boiling milk. Now the milk will thicken a little bit. Remove from heat and keep it aside.

 

For The Sugar Syrup

Add sugar and water in a pressure cooker and bring water to a  boil on high heat. Drop the rasmalais one by one and close the pressure cooker lid and place the weight. After you hear the first whistle, reduce the heat to medium and wait for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Release the preasure fully and then open the cookerlid . You can now see the rasmalais have doubled in size. Squeeze out a little bit of  the liquid from the rasmalai and drop it in the cardamom flavoured milk. Chill and serve cold.

  Notes : Drop 8 to 10 balls at a time. This way the rasmalai will have more room to cook .You can use the same sugar syrup and repeat the process  again. This recipe makes about 20 to 25 rasmalais.

To make cardamom flavoured sugar, take 1/4 cup sugar and 8 pods cardamom in a coffee grinder and grind it to fine powder. Save it in an airtight container.

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Ven Pongal

This is one of my all time favourite breakfast recipes. It should be eaten steaming hot with extra ghee drizzled on top.

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons raw cashewnuts
1 cup (5 0z) long-grained rice
1/2 cup (3 0z) green gram dal (split mung dal)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 1/2 cups  water
4 tablespoons ghee
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder
a piece of fresh ginger(1 inch long), finely chopped
a few curry leaves
salt to taste

Method
   Place cumin seeds and black peppercorn in a mortar and pestle and crush them coarsely . Then Split the cashews in half. Finely chop the ginger and keep it aside.
   Wash both the rice and green gram dal well. Mix together and place in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add ground turmeric and 4 1/2 cups water and bring them to a boil. Continue to boil for 15 minutes.  Add salt to taste. Reduce the heat and cover pan. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until soft. Once cooked, set aside. Do not drain.
   Next, heat ghee in a heavy frying pan .  Add  broken cahews, crushed cumin seed,  peppercorn , asafoetida powder, finely chopped ginger and few curry leaves. Saute for 1 minute. Add this to the rice dal mixture. Mix well.
   Serve hot with coconut chutney or Spicy  Sambar.